Published: September 10, 2007 03:01 pm            

REMEMBERING YESTERYEAR: Lumberman had good life on Christiana

This is the second part of a two-part series about 262 Christiana Street built by lumberman Will Kelsey.

Will and Julia Kelsey moved to their new home at 262 Christiana St. in 1924. Julia lived there through 1947. Kelsey had purchased the property in 1918 from the Sweeney estate. Other previous owners of the property included Benjamin Barton, George Goundry, Joseph Fellows, John and Caroline Sweeney, Conner and Louisa Cooley Sweeney, Catherine Sweeney Thompson and Sarah E. Bryant.

William E. Kelsey died on Oct. 26, 1923. His widow continued to live in the home.

This single family unit made its focal points the family rooms, allowing for relatively open spaces between the living room, dining arrangement, kitchen and porch. The central fireplace also leads you to believe that the main objective was for the family to be together. There is a central corridor that leads you through the remaining rooms in the house and to the stairs which are located towards the rear of the home.

The downstairs includes a master bedroom, a full bathroom, a guest room, den/office, living room, kitchen, and dining room.

The upper level has another full bathroom and two additional bedrooms. The bedroom in the front was converted from attic space in the 1980s and has a dormer overlooking the street.

The placement of the bedrooms in the original structure seems to have been intentional, keeping their location in the rear in an effort to reduce any noise coming from the street.

The floor plan is very practical and in keeping with the Bungalow style.

The house has, inevitably, had some alterations since its construction. On the first floor, there are a total of four original 15-pane French doors on the exterior walls of the living room. This suggests that there may once have been a porch extending from the side of the house to the front, accessed by these doors.

A wall was removed at the side entrance to create a larger mudroom. When the demolition took place, the current owners found French doors buried in the wall that had been used to divide the mudroom and living room. Today, there are swinging French doors that are 10 panes each, to replicate the other doors in the living room.

The fireplace in the center of the living room has been updated with a new enclosed electric fireplace and new tile has been installed.

The roof of the building has multiple dormers, which have been sided with vinyl while the rest of the home is stucco. The low hipped roof disguises the second floor to seemingly make an onlooker believe that this is a single-story unit. Notice the broad overhangs and Colonial styled frieze that are very fitting to this style.

The home retains features common with the Bungalow style. It was typical for Bungalow homes to have built in shelving units in the dining room or kitchen. Also, notice the radiators built in below the shelves. Similar radiator encasements in the same style are visible throughout various other rooms in the home.

The home at 262 Christiana was purchased by LeRoy A. and Cora Arenz in 1947. Arenz operated Roy Arenz Motors at 75 Main St.

This home was a participating home in the 2007 Historic Treasures Tour. Architectural and historical description by Lauren Hotaling, Lance Lowell, and Taylor Donlon, SUNYAB School of Architecture & Planning.

“Remembering Yesteryear” is produced under the auspices of the North Tonawanda History Museum. We invite individuals with stories or news of local history to tell to e-mail nthistorymuseum@aol.com or call 213-0554.

        

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